Contact Phone number(s): direct: 828.239.3510 main line: 828.258.1222
Short description of your proposed project:
For more than 60 years, the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville has been instrumental in promoting the growth and development of some of Asheville's more severely economically impacted areas. The Housing Authority of the City of Asheville became an official entity in 1940 - established by the Asheville City Council. Today, the Asheville Housing Authority consists of 11 Public Housing Developments and individual sites scattered throughout the city of Asheville. Our units provide affordable housing to over 1500 families. Each Development strives to offer a safe and unique environment for its residents by fostering personal and professional development and growth.
The Housing Authority of the City of Asheville’s mission is to provide safe, quality, and affordable housing, to expand available resources, and to collaborate with the community to create opportunities for resident self-sufficiency and economic independence. The goal of the proposed project is to bring wireless, broadband Internet access to residents of public housing in the city of Asheville. In order to do this, we intend to set up Public Computing Centers in eight developments – Pisgah View Apartments, Deaverview Apartments, Lee-Walker Heights, Hillcrest Apartments, Klondyke Apartments, Erskine Street Apartments, Walton Street Apartments and Livingston Heights.
To maximize the residents’ ability to use the Public Computing Centers and to maximize the benefit residents gain from the Centers, instructors from Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College will travel to each development and teach basic computer literacy classes.
The PCCs will also be used to help residents obtain their GED. Transportation is often a major barrier between our residents and achieving educational success. However, because of the easy access to Internet at each development, residents will be able to participate in online learning through the AB Tech GED Program. The Housing Authority of the City of Asheville’s Employment and Training Program Coordinator will be available to travel to the developments and assist residents with their online quest to obtain their GED.
In addition to helping residents obtain their GED, the PCCs will greatly assist residents in their search for employment. The Employment and Training Program Coordinator will assist residents in filling out applications, creating resumes and cover letters. Many organizations are advertising open positions on the Internet, and residents without computer access are currently unable to compete fairly for these positions. Reliable, free Internet access can help our residents become more competitive in the local job market. The PCCs will also have access to printers in order for residents to be able to print these items free of charge.
Describe how the project (PCC and/or SBA) would enhance services for health care delivery, education, or children – and how access to citizens with disabilities would be ensured.
The proposed PCCs would enhance health care delivery for public housing residents by allowing those individuals without transportation, insurance, or other barriers to adequate health care, to be able to look up medical conditions and treatments on the Internet. For example, there are a number of websites, such as Web MD, that allow individuals to enter their symptoms into the computer and a list of possible problems and treatments is compiled for the user. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), in 2006, there were 119.2 million emergency room visits in the United States. Of these, 14.28 million (12.1%) were for non-emergencies. The CDC recommends that individuals establish a relationship with their primary care physician to avoid these unnecessary emergency room visits. A large proportion of public housing residents are uninsured and therefore do not have the luxury of having a primary care physician. Free Internet access at the PCCs to medical websites could help alleviate the costs to both the health care system and our residents.
The proposed PCCs will also improve the delivery of educational services to our residents. We currently have roughly 20 public housing residents enrolled in the AB Tech GED Program. Initially, nearly 75 residents expressed interest in the program, and only 5 residents have completed the GED Program at AB Tech. As previously discussed, transportation and child care are major barriers between our residents and their educational successes. These issues have prevented approximately 70 of our residents from obtaining their GED. AB Tech offers their GED Program online, which makes the idea of obtaining a GED more realistic for our residents. However, without reliable access to the Internet, this course of study becomes difficult for our residents. The PCC could be the difference between 5 residents getting their GED versus 75 residents getting their GED.
The educational achievements of the children in public housing could be greatly enhanced by the proposed PCCs. At school, the children have access to computers and the Internet to help them complete their assignments; but, when the students go home, they do not have access to these resources, which places them at a great disadvantage. Adding to this situation is a 4.97 percent drop out rate in the city school system, with 66 students having dropped out in the last year. In order to help our children overcome this disadvantage, MAIN is willing to host and maintain the “cloud computing” service. In a nutshell, cloud computing is a suite of common tools and applications that are housed on a common server rather than one’s personal computer. For example, any student could move from campus to community center to home and still access their work-in-progress.
Residents with disabilities will be able to have access to the PCCs, because all of the developments are handicap accessible with the exception of Klondyke, which is in the initial architectural design phase to become handicap accessible.
Describe the capacity of the proposed Public Computing Center(s) and the populations to be served, including possible membership fees and restrictions.
The proposed PCCs will serve the residents of public housing, who are typically some of the community’s most socially and economically underserved citizens. The Housing Authority of the City of Asheville houses 1410 families across the City of Asheville and Buncombe County. The average annual income of these families is $8400, with 70 percent of children in public housing receiving free or reduced lunches.
The only anticipated cost to the residents would be a $35 per month charge to have the Internet access available in their homes.
Summarize the viability of the PCC project including technology to be used, qualifications of management team, partnerships, and a project timeline.
The proposed PCC is a viable investment, because the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville has at least 5 computers in each community center, and will be purchasing new computers to replace any outdated or problematic computers and printers. This will ensure that our residents to receive the greatest benefit possible from the PCCs. We are also planning to purchase a projector and screen for each development to assist in the training sessions.
For SBA funding requests, describe the following: Target population; barriers to adoption, awareness campaign and how its impact will be measured; how the project is an effective and appropriate means for creating sustainable adoption in the target population; how the project is innovative.
For both PCC and SBA requests, explain how the project will be sustainable beyond the stimulus funding period.
The main costs of the PCCs are associated with the instillation of the computers and other technology systems, as well as the teachers who will be conducting the training sessions. These costs will be funded during the grant period. After the funding period has expired, the costs of the PCC will be associated mainly with maintenance of the computers. The Housing Authority of the City of Asheville already employs an IT staff member who is responsible for the upkeep of the computers and will continue to do this past the funding period.
How much money are you requesting? Please show a line-item budget for your request (Brenda Mills is compiling our collective budget).
$91,000 for a fulltime position with HACA for Public Computing Access Coordinator.
$9000 for 60 Laserjet ink cartridges
$12,600 for Computers
23 Desktops
10 Laptops
$2000 for 5 Laserjet printers
$1000 for a Laptop cart
$5000 for 5 Overhead projectors
$1000 for 5 Screens
$400 for 4 16 Port switches
$8000 for Security and anti-virus software
Computrace
Symmantec
Deepfreeze
$7000 for Microsoft Office Suite 2007 Software
$7000 for Windows Vista Software
$15,000 for 5 Security cameras
$12,000 for 5 Security personnel for 2-18 week training sessions
$6500 for Basic computer literacy training through AB Tech based on a cost of $65/student up to 24 hours of training
This is a quote from AB Tech, but we plan to pursue training from our other partners
Total: $177,500
Can your agency provide cash or in-kind contributions to help meet the 20 percent matching requirement? Please describe.
The Housing Authority of the City of Asheville can contribute $80,072 in in-kind contributions. This is based off of the following figures: $55,272 for space in the community centers at each public housing development for two years :
Lee Walker Heights:
657 ft2 at rate of $12/ft2 = $15,768
Deaverview:
446 ft2 at rate of $12/ft2 = $10,704
Pisgah View: Only a section of the community space has computers in it; therefore a section of 20’x20’ is designated as the computer space. The entire space square footage was not used.
400 ft2 at rate of $12/ft2= $9,600
Hillcrest: Only a section of the community space has computers in it; therefore a section of 20’x20’ is designated as the computer space. The entire space square footage was not used.
400 ft2 at rate of $12/ft2= $9,600
Klondyke Homes: Only a section of the community space has computers in it; therefore a section of 20’x20’ is designated as the computer space. The entire space square footage was not used.
400 ft2 at rate of $12/ft2= $9,600 $24,800 for 31 existing computers at $800/computer
HACA
1. How many people served and will be job ready after training?
Total of how many residents will be served over the proposed training schedule’s two year time frame. 10 people per class with 2 classes a day at each development means that 20 people per development will be served each year, for a total of 100 residents in year 1 and 100 more residents in year 2. This comes to a grand total of 200 residents.
2. Frequency of classes? (i.e. weekly for two years rotating between developments) The training sessions will be offered once a year and will each be for 18 structured weeks. The 18 weeks are broken down into 3 – 6 week schedules. The schedule for weeks 1 – 6 are as follows:
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
10 am – 12 pm
Klondyke
Pisgah View
Deaverview
Hillcrest
Lee-Walker
Klondyke
Pisgah View
Deaverview
Hillcrest
Lee-Walker
6 pm – 8 pm
Klondyke
Pisgah View
Deaverview
Hillcrest
Lee-Walker
Klondyke
Pisgah View
Deaverview
Hillcrest
Lee-Walker
The schedule for weeks 7 – 12 is as follows:
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
10 am – 12 pm
Klondyke
Pisgah View
Hillcrest
Deaverview
Lee Walker
6 pm – 8 pm
Deaverview
Lee Walker
Klondyke
Pisgah View
Hillcrest
The schedule for weeks 13 – 18 is simply for each class at each development to meet once a month for two months for two hours each time. After the 18 week intensive schedule, the teachers will be made available by appointment for the students for the remainder of the year. The classes will then start over the next year for a second round.
3. How long is the class? (i.e. 1 hour)
The classes meet for 2 hours each.
4. Class description: basic computer skills, mousing, typing, Word, Internet usage, GED prep.
The main goal of the classes is to teach our residents basic broadband literacy. This includes Internet usage, word processing and other basic computer skills. Outside of the classes, the computers will be used to help individuals search for jobs and take the AB Tech GED class online.
5. Trainer qualification: at least an associate’s degree. HACA will hire an employee to coordinate training and outreach with a full time position ($35K annual, $45K allocated with benefits). This position will not perform the actual training, but will facilitate the training from the outreach agency like the URTV mobile unit.
6. Marketing: will advertise by going door to door and by placing articles and advertisements in the monthly resident newsletter. We will also place flyers in each development’s office.
7. What is the impact of adding computers in areas?
Computers are rarely used now due to lack of training; with the new computers we expect 50 % increase in usage with the training programs educating people on how to use the computers with the mobile training labs. The access to computers will also enable more residents to be able to pursue their GED online.
For more than 60 years, the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville has been instrumental in promoting the growth and development of some of Asheville's more severely economically impacted areas. The Housing Authority of the City of Asheville became an official entity in 1940 - established by the Asheville City Council. Today, the Asheville Housing Authority consists of 11 Public Housing Developments and individual sites scattered throughout the city of Asheville. Our units provide affordable housing to over 1500 families. Each Development strives to offer a safe and unique environment for its residents by fostering personal and professional development and growth.
The Housing Authority of the City of Asheville’s mission is to provide safe, quality, and affordable housing, to expand available resources, and to collaborate with the community to create opportunities for resident self-sufficiency and economic independence. The goal of the proposed project is to bring wireless, broadband Internet access to residents of public housing in the city of Asheville. In order to do this, we intend to set up Public Computing Centers in eight developments – Pisgah View Apartments, Deaverview Apartments, Lee-Walker Heights, Hillcrest Apartments, Klondyke Apartments, Erskine Street Apartments, Walton Street Apartments and Livingston Heights.
To maximize the residents’ ability to use the Public Computing Centers and to maximize the benefit residents gain from the Centers, instructors from Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College will travel to each development and teach basic computer literacy classes.
The PCCs will also be used to help residents obtain their GED. Transportation is often a major barrier between our residents and achieving educational success. However, because of the easy access to Internet at each development, residents will be able to participate in online learning through the AB Tech GED Program. The Housing Authority of the City of Asheville’s Employment and Training Program Coordinator will be available to travel to the developments and assist residents with their online quest to obtain their GED.
In addition to helping residents obtain their GED, the PCCs will greatly assist residents in their search for employment. The Employment and Training Program Coordinator will assist residents in filling out applications, creating resumes and cover letters. Many organizations are advertising open positions on the Internet, and residents without computer access are currently unable to compete fairly for these positions. Reliable, free Internet access can help our residents become more competitive in the local job market. The PCCs will also have access to printers in order for residents to be able to print these items free of charge.
The proposed PCCs would enhance health care delivery for public housing residents by allowing those individuals without transportation, insurance, or other barriers to adequate health care, to be able to look up medical conditions and treatments on the Internet. For example, there are a number of websites, such as Web MD, that allow individuals to enter their symptoms into the computer and a list of possible problems and treatments is compiled for the user. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), in 2006, there were 119.2 million emergency room visits in the United States. Of these, 14.28 million (12.1%) were for non-emergencies. The CDC recommends that individuals establish a relationship with their primary care physician to avoid these unnecessary emergency room visits. A large proportion of public housing residents are uninsured and therefore do not have the luxury of having a primary care physician. Free Internet access at the PCCs to medical websites could help alleviate the costs to both the health care system and our residents.
The proposed PCCs will also improve the delivery of educational services to our residents. We currently have roughly 20 public housing residents enrolled in the AB Tech GED Program. Initially, nearly 75 residents expressed interest in the program, and only 5 residents have completed the GED Program at AB Tech. As previously discussed, transportation and child care are major barriers between our residents and their educational successes. These issues have prevented approximately 70 of our residents from obtaining their GED. AB Tech offers their GED Program online, which makes the idea of obtaining a GED more realistic for our residents. However, without reliable access to the Internet, this course of study becomes difficult for our residents. The PCC could be the difference between 5 residents getting their GED versus 75 residents getting their GED.
The educational achievements of the children in public housing could be greatly enhanced by the proposed PCCs. At school, the children have access to computers and the Internet to help them complete their assignments; but, when the students go home, they do not have access to these resources, which places them at a great disadvantage. Adding to this situation is a 4.97 percent drop out rate in the city school system, with 66 students having dropped out in the last year. In order to help our children overcome this disadvantage, MAIN is willing to host and maintain the “cloud computing” service. In a nutshell, cloud computing is a suite of common tools and applications that are housed on a common server rather than one’s personal computer. For example, any student could move from campus to community center to home and still access their work-in-progress.
Residents with disabilities will be able to have access to the PCCs, because all of the developments are handicap accessible with the exception of Klondyke, which is in the initial architectural design phase to become handicap accessible.
The proposed PCCs will serve the residents of public housing, who are typically some of the community’s most socially and economically underserved citizens. The Housing Authority of the City of Asheville houses 1410 families across the City of Asheville and Buncombe County. The average annual income of these families is $8400, with 70 percent of children in public housing receiving free or reduced lunches.
The only anticipated cost to the residents would be a $35 per month charge to have the Internet access available in their homes.
The proposed PCC is a viable investment, because the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville has at least 5 computers in each community center, and will be purchasing new computers to replace any outdated or problematic computers and printers. This will ensure that our residents to receive the greatest benefit possible from the PCCs. We are also planning to purchase a projector and screen for each development to assist in the training sessions.
The main costs of the PCCs are associated with the instillation of the computers and other technology systems, as well as the teachers who will be conducting the training sessions. These costs will be funded during the grant period. After the funding period has expired, the costs of the PCC will be associated mainly with maintenance of the computers. The Housing Authority of the City of Asheville already employs an IT staff member who is responsible for the upkeep of the computers and will continue to do this past the funding period.
$91,000 for a fulltime position with HACA for Public Computing Access Coordinator.
$9000 for 60 Laserjet ink cartridges
$12,600 for Computers
23 Desktops
10 Laptops
$2000 for 5 Laserjet printers
$1000 for a Laptop cart
$5000 for 5 Overhead projectors
$1000 for 5 Screens
$400 for 4 16 Port switches
$8000 for Security and anti-virus software
Computrace
Symmantec
Deepfreeze
$7000 for Microsoft Office Suite 2007 Software
$7000 for Windows Vista Software
$15,000 for 5 Security cameras
$12,000 for 5 Security personnel for 2-18 week training sessions
$6500 for Basic computer literacy training through AB Tech based on a cost of $65/student up to 24 hours of training
This is a quote from AB Tech, but we plan to pursue training from our other partners
Total: $177,500
The Housing Authority of the City of Asheville can contribute $80,072 in in-kind contributions. This is based off of the following figures:
$55,272 for space in the community centers at each public housing development for two years :
- Lee Walker Heights:
657 ft2 at rate of $12/ft2 = $15,768- Deaverview:
446 ft2 at rate of $12/ft2 = $10,704- Pisgah View: Only a section of the community space has computers in it; therefore a section of 20’x20’ is designated as the computer space. The entire space square footage was not used.
400 ft2 at rate of $12/ft2= $9,600- Hillcrest: Only a section of the community space has computers in it; therefore a section of 20’x20’ is designated as the computer space. The entire space square footage was not used.
400 ft2 at rate of $12/ft2= $9,600- Klondyke Homes: Only a section of the community space has computers in it; therefore a section of 20’x20’ is designated as the computer space. The entire space square footage was not used.
400 ft2 at rate of $12/ft2= $9,600$24,800 for 31 existing computers at $800/computer
HACA
1. How many people served and will be job ready after training?
Total of how many residents will be served over the proposed training schedule’s two year time frame. 10 people per class with 2 classes a day at each development means that 20 people per development will be served each year, for a total of 100 residents in year 1 and 100 more residents in year 2. This comes to a grand total of 200 residents.
2. Frequency of classes? (i.e. weekly for two years rotating between developments) The training sessions will be offered once a year and will each be for 18 structured weeks. The 18 weeks are broken down into 3 – 6 week schedules. The schedule for weeks 1 – 6 are as follows:
Pisgah View
Deaverview
Lee-Walker
Pisgah View
Deaverview
Lee-Walker
Pisgah View
Deaverview
Lee-Walker
Pisgah View
Deaverview
Lee-Walker
Pisgah View
Lee Walker
Lee Walker
Pisgah View
The schedule for weeks 13 – 18 is simply for each class at each development to meet once a month for two months for two hours each time. After the 18 week intensive schedule, the teachers will be made available by appointment for the students for the remainder of the year. The classes will then start over the next year for a second round.
3. How long is the class? (i.e. 1 hour)
The classes meet for 2 hours each.
4. Class description: basic computer skills, mousing, typing, Word, Internet usage, GED prep.
The main goal of the classes is to teach our residents basic broadband literacy. This includes Internet usage, word processing and other basic computer skills. Outside of the classes, the computers will be used to help individuals search for jobs and take the AB Tech GED class online.
5. Trainer qualification: at least an associate’s degree. HACA will hire an employee to coordinate training and outreach with a full time position ($35K annual, $45K allocated with benefits). This position will not perform the actual training, but will facilitate the training from the outreach agency like the URTV mobile unit.
6. Marketing: will advertise by going door to door and by placing articles and advertisements in the monthly resident newsletter. We will also place flyers in each development’s office.
7. What is the impact of adding computers in areas?
Computers are rarely used now due to lack of training; with the new computers we expect 50 % increase in usage with the training programs educating people on how to use the computers with the mobile training labs. The access to computers will also enable more residents to be able to pursue their GED online.